22nd March 2023

Weekly Meditation Verse: Psalm 114 “Tremble o earth at the presence of the Lord.”

If you look at the Wellbeing side of this week’s meditation card for Psalm 114, it helpfully adds that “The Hebrew word for tremble can also mean to whirl or dance with longing.” Which puts the verse in a totally new light.  In my twenties I would take any opportunity to dance just for the pure joy of it, as I have got older and less able, I still like to give it a go but it’s not with the same wild abandonment as before and I’ll keep to the edge of the dancefloor to stay out of the limelight! The great thing is that we don’t need to be able to dance or whirl to feel the presence of the Lord, most weeks this is to be found in our Renew spaces across the UK in the companionship and gentle led prayer rhythms.  Here’s a quote from a host at one of our Renew spaces:

“One day, at the end of our prayer time (where we use a very simple prayer rhythm from Psalm 103) one lady said “this place is like a big warm blanket”. Another week, as we sat quietly at the end of our prayers, she breathed deeply and said “I don’t want to leave”. To know that Renew gives people a space where they feel, safe and at home, and can experience the peace of God in our prayers is such an encouragement.”